Up to now, an apparatus configured to support a circuit design by a user is proposed. For example, at a stage of the circuit design on a printed circuit board, the apparatus in related art stores a changed part and an unchanged part in a storage apparatus while being distinguished from each other. Then, the apparatus in related art performs a physical design on the unchanged part by using already designed data.
Also, according to the technology in related art, a circuit such as a printed circuit board is produced through a process including a conceptual design by a designer or the like, the circuit design, the physical design, and a fabrication. Also, the produced circuit may be revised through a carryover design in some cases because of various reasons such as an addition of a function, a component revision, and a reduction in size of a casing that accommodates the circuit. In this case, the designer converts physical design data into conceptual design data and examines a wiring, an arrangement, and the like again from the conceptual design.
See Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 3-88071.